ATD: How Many Calories Should I Start My Diet With?

Question:

I am a female, age 37, 5’4 feet tall and I weight 187 pounds. I am trying to drop my weight to 145 pounds so I can maintain a healthy life style. I entered my data in the “Calorie Needs” Tool and it comes up with Fat loss, Extreme Fat Loss and Maintance calories. Where do I start? Do I start with 1496 (extreme fat loss) to kick off my weight loss and change to the 7 day calorie cycle when I hit a plateau?
I just want to lose weight the healthy and safe way without diet pills and I need some guidance to help me through this. Andrea

Answer:

Hi Andrea,

So glad to hear you are looking for a safe way to lose weight! This calorie counter tool is very generalized in giving you information about how many calories you need. Take it with a grain of salt as you begin to see how your body responds to the level you choose. For the fat burning level you should lose about 1 pound a week and the “extreme” level will only increase that by 1/2 pound. If you are able to stick to the lower calorie level you’ll lose weight faster. The rotating calorie level is good for long term, not only physically but psychologically….you’ll get more food on certain days and it’s a relief to know that more is coming when you’re feeling hungry! It’s not really an exact science: Choose any of the levels you are comfortable with, then determine whether you are ready to eat less to lose a bit more quickly, or if you’d rather relax the restrictions a bit to lose slow and steady.

Good luck!

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Written by Laurie Beebe

About The Author: Laurie Beebe has been a registered dietitian for 25 years and is certified in adult weight management. Laurie currently serves as a diet coach and life coach at www.mycoachlaurie.com

One Comment

Yum Yucky said on February 9th at 9:11 pm

I agree! Use that tool as a guideline, but also listen to your body. I started my weight loss journey with the Calorie Needs tool, but found I was very tired by the end of the day. I had to amp my caloric intake by about 200 calories (despite what the tool said) and I felt much better and could function much better without dropping tired at 7pm!